A “firearm discharge” from a car targeted Bais Chaya Mushka Girls Elementary School in Toronto at 4:05 a.m. on Yom Kippur, the Toronto Police Service said on Saturday.
“This is domestic terrorism,” wrote Canadian parliamentarian Kevin Vuong, who represents Toronto and who noted that this is the second time that a shooter, or shooters, targeted the Toronto Jewish school.
Police said that there were no reported injuries, and that evidence of gunfire was found.
“I’m very disturbed to hear that last night, as families marked Yom Kippur, there were shots fired at a Jewish school in Toronto,” Justin Trudeau, the Canadian prime minister, stated. “As we wait for more details, my heart goes out to the students, staff and parents who must be terrified and hurting today.”
“Antisemitism is a disgusting and dangerous form of hate—and we won’t let it stand,” he said.
Pierre Poilievre, the Canadian opposition leader who is running against Trudeau, wrote that there were “more bullets fired at a Jewish school overnight in Toronto.”
“This is yet another shameful and terrifyingly common antisemitic attack in Canada in 2024. It is part of a 251% increase in hate crimes during the nine years of the NDP-Liberals,” he added. “I will ban the terrorists, secure our borders, lock up criminals and bring home safety for all.” (The NDP is the New Democratic Party.)
The Toronto Police Service added later in the day that it is “investigating the troubling firearm discharges at the Bais Chaya Mushka Elementary School early this morning.” It asked anyone with relevant video footage to come forward.
“This sadistic intimidation of innocent children and families goes beyond any debates. This is terrorism,” wrote Amir Hart, a People’s Party of Canada candidate for office in Thornhill, in Ontario, which has a large Jewish community.
“We must come together as a community, regardless of ethnicity and religion, and unite against these sadistic extremists which are looking for an excuse to commit terrorism,” Hart said.
The Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center stated that it is “deeply disturbed that a Jewish school in Toronto was hit with gunfire overnight, as the Jewish community marked Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar.”
“Bais Chaya Mushka, a Jewish girls’ school, was the target of gunfire for the second time, following a similar incident in May,” it stated. “No one was injured, but windows were broken in this latest attack which comes amid a continuing surge in antisemitism in Toronto and elsewhere in Canada.”
“Tragically, the reality of life for Jews in Canada now includes gunfire targeting our schools, metal detectors and armed police outside our synagogues, ongoing harassment of Jewish students on university campuses and terror-glorifying hate rallies on our city streets,” stated Michael Levitt, the president and CEO of the nonprofit.
“This is not just a Jewish problem, and Jews alone can’t fix it. Condemnations are appreciated but they are not nearly enough,” he added. “Our leaders need to act decisively and urgently to address this grave situation before someone gets seriously hurt.”
